Crest of Compassion
by FireFriendship
Summary: *Finished!!* Matt has a dangerous secret. When one of the Digidestined stumble onto it by accident, will she be able to save him in time? Please read & review, it's my first fic...
1. Chapter 1

**__**

Forever and Always,

I Shall Love You

*Author's Note* Jackie is a digidestined with the silver digivice and the crest of compassion. (Basically she's me.) She protects the other digidestined, and has a special connection to Matt, T.K., Tai, and Kari. If you read my other fic, some of the stuff is the same, except I took out all the magical power stuff. (Which makes it a lot longer and more fun to write ^_^) I got some e-mails that it didn't make sense and it was hard to follow, so this fic is dedicated to you guys. Thanks for reviewing! I changed my crest cause I think this one suits me more. Oh, I forgot to put this in my other fic, but just so you know, I don't hate Mr. Ishida; I think he's a good father, and I have nothing against him. He's just evil in this little ficcie here, ok? ^_^ Well, read, review, and enjoy!

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Italic = thought(s) *stuff in between* = emphasized 

*Disclaimer* I do not own Digimon, cause if I did, the ending of season two would *never* have happened. ^_^

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Matt's POV

"You useless piece of shit!" Bellowed Mr. Ishida, the smell of beer heavy on his breath. "I was put on probation today, and I have to take a trip to Tokyo, to prove that I can work hard. Dammit! You know what? It's all your fault!!!" I'm backed into a corner, shaking._ I can tell he drank even more than usual. Probably because he almost got fired. But I don't understand why it's *my* fault._ "You little fucker!" He yells and throws the beer bottle at me. I cover my head with my arms. The sharp pieces of glass fly through the air and land all over the floor, but not on me. His aim was off because of the alcohol flowing through his veins. He reaches out to grab me. I try to get away but he catches me anyway. He holds me by my shirt and throws me towards the sofa. I flip over it and hit my head against the leg of the coffee table. Tears sprang, unwanted, into my eyes. "Get up you screw up and go to your room!" Hisses Mr. Ishida. 

"Yes, sir." I obey, my head pounding. I start walking slowly up the stairs, but start walking faster and faster when I see that he's following me. I twist the doorknob and as the door opens, he pushes me hard and slams the door. I stumble backwards and trip over a pile of books. I flip over the windowsill, my back hitting the corner. As I fell I turn to grab something to stop the fall. I reach upward and just barely grabbed onto the ledge I flipped over. I hung there, on the second story window, afraid to cry for help incase *he* hears me. I was just about to panic when… 

Jackie's POV

I was walking up to Matt's house where he had asked me to meet him to talk about something. He wouldn't say what on the phone. I'm almost there when I hear a mental plea for help. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the voice calling to me. Matt! Something's wrong. I followed my instincts to the side of his apartment. 

*Oh my god* 

"Matt!" I call up to him. 

"Jackie!" He calls down relief shone in his azure blue eyes. "I was hoping our connection still worked."

******************************Flashback*******************************

We, meaning, me, Matt, Tai, T.K., and Kari, were in the Digital World one night. We were separated from everyone else. Then an angel appears. She identified herself as a digital entity. She spoke to each of us. She told us that we were all connected, that we all had a special bond to one another. If any of us needed help, we could call out mentally, and the others could hear. It could be directed to all or just one person in particular. "But," she cautioned us, "Do not take this connection lightly. You are not to call each other for fun or practical jokes. If called, it is almost like a command that you want and should respond to. However, if the Guardian of Compassion is summoned, she will have no choice but to obey." She sees the confused expression on my face. "This is not a decision that you can make, Guardian. It is not that you are weak and can not resist the call, there is something different about you." My crest starts to glow a light silvery color. "You are special, and have another power that you have yet to learn of. We all have different destinies." My crest flares and then goes back to it's original state. The angel disappears and we were all returned to where our other companions were and fell asleep. We never told anyone about our bond and I never found my other power.

*****************************End Flashback****************************

"Help me!" Matt cries.

Oh god what can I do? I have to help, but I don't know how! Wait! I have an idea, I just hope that I'm strong enough.

"Matt, do you think you could jump down and I'll catch you? I know it's risky, but I don't know what else to do!" _I can do this, I can do this, oh kami-sama, I had *better* be able to do this!_

Matt hesitates, unsure. Then he seems to make up his mind. "Ok." He prepares himself to let go, and I can see him trembling. He shuts his eyes and falls… I hold out my arms, bracing myself. He's falling directly at me…

"Gotcha!" I exclaim. We both ended up on the floor, unhurt. The fear in his eyes slowly disappears, and his breathing returns to normal. 

"T-thanks." Matt stammers, really shaken up by the whole thing. 

"I'm so glad you're ok!" I embrace him, relieved. Then I look at him, my blue eyes meeting his. Confusion showed in mine. "Why were you hanging from the side of your apartment?" I ask gently.

Matt's POV

I stammer, unsure of what to say. _Should I tell her? I know she just wants to help me. We've been through nearly everything together and we even lived together at one point._ Just then, I see my father turning on the porch light, out front. "What's all the commotion out there?" He yells. I knew I couldn't say anything now.

"Uh, I gotta go." I say quickly.

"But!" Jackie says

"Listen, it's late and I'd get in big trouble if he found me out here. See you tomorrow at the park?" _She can't even imagine the trouble I'd get in if he did find out._

"Ok," She agrees. "See you tomorrow." She walks down the sidewalk and turns to wave goodbye. I signal her to hurry and go. I quickly knock over some garbage cans, and go back in though the back door. I run to my room, lay in bed, and pretended to be asleep.

"Damn raccoons!" I hear my dad muttering, as he fixes the trashcans. I thank my lucky stars that he didn't catch either of us. As I laid there, I memories of when Jackie did live with us came flooding back. 

*****************************Flashback********************************

"Jackie it's ok, you can go live with them, I don't mind, really." I say. We had just found out that my Mom and T.K. wanted to adopt Jackie. She's been living with us ever since we came back from the Digital world, which was about two months. I guess T.K. told Mom that she had no family. 

"But, Matt, you sure you won't be lonely by yourself?" She asks. 

"I'll be fine. Besides, you can come and visit anytime." I lie. My heart was breaking at the thought of her leaving, but I had to get her out of here because Dad was becoming more and more violent. He hadn't hit me yet but he yelled all the time. I really wanted her to stay because he was nice when she was around. But if she got hurt by staying here with me, I'd never forgive myself. I knew it was better if she left now before she got hurt. 

"Ok, I guess I'll go then." Jackie consented. "But I'll come back when ever you need me to, and sometimes even when you don't." She promised.

****************************End Flashback*****************************

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Oh Jackie, I wish you were here now. You promised to always be there for me, no matter what. 

******************************Flashback*******************************

It was just before I had sunk into the Caves of Depression…

"Matt!" Jackie runs up to me. I was surprised that she had followed me all this way. She said she would come with me, but I hadn't believed her.

"Matt, wait!" She looks at me with eyes identical to my own. "Matt, something's happening to you. I don't know if you realized it yet but something is. I just want you to know that I'll always be there for you if you need me. For anything."

"Right. Whatever." I reply coldly.

"I mean it! We'll be friends forever, no matter what. I promise, Matt." She vows. She knew I didn't believe her, yet she kept trying. It was like she knew what was going to happen, and that I would need friendship to fight it.

****************************End Flashback*****************************

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Friends forever, no matter what… I fell asleep with renewed hope that things would turn out ok.

Jackie's POV

I reached home fast enough, but I wondered why Matt wanted me to leave so quickly. I opened the front door, and to my surprise, T.K. jumps into my arms. 

"Hi, Jackie! You're home fast. What did Matt say?" T.K. asked.

"Hey, T.K. I didn't get to talk with your onii-chan, cause he said he was busy. He did say to meet him at the park tomorrow." I say.

"You know, Matt is kind of your big brother too. After all, you are a part of our family now." T.K. says innocently.

I smile, "He's not that much older than me, only a month and a half. But that's a nice thought, T.K. You'd better go to bed, it's getting kinda late."

"Ok," he agrees, yawning.

"Come on, I'll carry you." We pass the kitchen where our Mom's busy typing up an article. "Hey, Mom, I'm gonna bring T.K. up to bed, k?"

"Ok, honey. Goodnight T.K.!" She says.

"G'night, Mommy." T.K. replies sleepily. I bring T.K. up to his room and tuck him in.

"G'night T.K. Sweet dreams." I say.

"Night…" he murmurs, before closing his eyes. An hour later I'm in bed, too. I couldn't sleep though. It's not that I wasn't sleepy, just confused. 

__

Why did Matt want me to leave so quickly? And how come he didn't answer me when I asked why he fell outta the window? He seemed really nervous when his Dad came out. I wonder why? I hope I get all the answers tomorrow. 

My eyelids were starting to get really heavy so I surrendered myself to sleep. 

Tomorrow morning, I awoke to the sound of the telephone ringing. I picked up and said drowsily, "Hello?"

"Hey Jackie! It's me, Matt. Can you meet me at the park in half an hour? I'll be standing under the tree." 

"Sure, I'll be there. But I have to go and get ready, k? You kinda woke me up." I smile.

"Sorry bout that." Matt says sheepishly. "Well, see you soon. Bye!" 

"Bye, Matt!" I say, as I climb outta bed. After a quick shower and some cereal, I was good to go. I told Mom and T.K. where I was going and left at about ten thirty. I walked up to the park and saw Matt standing under the tree where all of us had craved our names when we defeated Apocalymon and came back to the real world.

Matt's POV

"Hey Jackie," I say, as we sit under the shade.

"You had to tell me something?" She asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, I was wondering if you could come with us, me and my Dad, on a business trip to Tokyo. Dad has some work to do there and said that you could come and keep me company. He'll be off before dark, so we'll all be able to get together every night. I know it's not very far, but Dad, being the work-a-holic that he is, wouldn't let his boss send him any farther than that." _Alright, so some of that is a lie…ok, all of it was, but if she comes, nothing'll happen to me._

"Of course I'll come! It'll be just like old times, huh?" I smiled. "This should be fun. When are you guys leaving?" Jackie asks.

"Tomorrow morning at eight. We're gonna catch a train and be there by nine. Dad has a meeting at nine thirty, so we gotta go early. Can you come to my house quarter to eight?" I ask, hoping she'll say yes.

"Ok, why not?" She says happily. 

I reflected her smile and asked, "You hungry? Come on, I'll treat you to lunch."

"Matt, you don't have to!" Jackie says. 

"I insist." I say.

"Alright, let's go!" She agrees. After lunch, we both went home. Back at my own house, I sighed happily. _Dad wouldn't be home for a couple of hours and Jackie had actually agreed to come with me. And we had lunch together, too! This had been one of the best days of my life. I wonder what Dad'll say when she shows up at our front door tomorrow? He has no idea she's coming but he won't touch me while Jackie's around._

Jackie's POV

I let myself into the house. "I'm home!" I call out. 

"Hi Jackie," my mom says. "T.K.'s at Kari's house playing. Do you want to go over too? Tai asked for you to." 

"Ok, but Matt asked me to go with him and his Dad to Tokyo tomorrow morning. I already told him I could go. I can go right?" I ask.

"Of course you can, honey. Now go over to Tai's don't stay out too late." She answers.

"Right. Bye Mom!" I say halfway out the door. I walk over to Tai's house and ring the doorbell. "Hey Tai! What's up?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm glad you're here; I've been pretty bored. Wanna play soccer?" Tai says all in one breath.

"Still the same old Taichi, huh? I'll play, and I'll beat you too!" I say grinning.

"Well not…" He sees I'm joking. "Let's play!" He says, matching my grin. We pass T.K. and Kari. 

"Hey guys! We're going to play soccer! Wanna watch?" I ask. 

"Ok, we're coming!" Chorused T.K. and Kari. We played for two hours ending with a tie. We were both hot and tired and happy. 

"That was fun!" I say. 

"Yeah, to bad nobody won. Can you come over tomorrow and play again?" Tai asks.

"I can't come tomorrow. Matt invited me to go with him and his Dad to Tokyo tomorrow. You're not upset, are you?" I say worriedly.

Tai smiles. _She's still as caring as always, no wonder she's such a good friend._ "It's ok, have fun tomorrow."

"Thanks, Tai. I should probably bring T.K. home now. I promised Mom we'd be home before dark." I get up and brush the grass off my shorts. "Come on T.K., let's go." We took our things and said good-bye to the Kamiya's. We arrived home just as the sun was setting. 

"Hi Mommy! We're home!" Yelled T.K.

"Hey you guys, I just finished my article for the newspaper. I've been working on it all week. My, you guys look dirty, but very happy too." Mom says.

"We are. I'm gonna go take a shower, and then come down to eat, ok?" I ask.

"Ok dear. Hurry, you don't want your dinner to get cold." Mom says turning back to the kitchen. After dinner, me and T.K. say good night and go up to bed. 

__

If that was all Matt had to tell me, why didn't he just ask me over the phone? If his Dad wants me to go with them tomorrow, why would he get mad if he found me and Matt outside talking? Wouldn't he know Matt had to ask me? Wouldn't he want Matt to ask me? It saves him the trouble. I'm don't think Matt's telling me everything, but I'm sure he'll tell me when he's ready. I trust him. 

As I was thinking, I slowly drifted off to sleep. 

I woke up tomorrow at seven to my alarm clock's persistent ringing. I groan as I reach to turn it off. I got out of bed and was ready to go by seven thirty. I left a note to remind my Mom where I was going. I left at seven thirty five, plenty of time to reach Matt's house.

Matt's POV

"Dad, Dad, wake up you're going to be late." I whisper, shaking him gently. He grunts as he opens his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing in my room? Who on earth gives you the right to be bothering me?" Mr. Ishida growls.

"I'm sorry sir. I just thought that you might be late for your meeting if you didn't get up now." I apologized.

"Nothing gives you the right to think that. Nothing gives you the right to think! So. Never. Bother. Me. AGAIN!" Roars Mr. Ishida, as he slaps me across the face. 

I bit back tears and murmured, "Yes, sir." I run out of his room and into mine. I close the door, and only then did I dare to cry. I hear my Dad coming out of the bathroom and go downstairs to eat. I wipe my tears away and look into the mirror. I gasp at my reflection. I had a big red mark across my face. 

Jackie's sure to notice this. What am I going to tell her? 

Just then I heard the doorbell ring. 

"I'll get it!" I yell, while running down the stairs. I open the door.

"Hey Matt!" I see her sharply draw in her breath. "What happened to your face? Are you ok?" She asks.

"Oh yeah, um… I fell off my bed this morning, trying to turn off my alarm clock. I forgot that I moved it so I wouldn't just turn it off and go back to sleep." I made up quickly.

"Aww…Here, let me put some ice on it." She says, concerned. I didn't want her to worry, but it was so nice to have somebody worry and care about me again. I happily

agreed. 

"Good morning Mr. Ishida!" Jackie says brightly as we pass him on the way to the kitchen. "How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you." Mr. Ishida says confused. 

While she was putting the ice on my face, she asked me, "Your Dad *does* know I'm coming right?"

"Uh… he might've forgotten. You know how his memory is…" I answer. 

"Oh ok, I'll go and remind him." She says. "Excuse me, Mr. Ishida? You do know I'm coming with you and Matt to Tokyo, right?"

"Huh? You are? Since when?" He asked, still confused.

"Matt invited me to come yesterday. Is it ok with you?" Jackie asks my father. _Oh boy, he's gonna be pissed with me when we get back. _

"Oh yeah, silly me, of course, how could I have forgotten?" Answers Mr. Ishida smoothly. He turns to look at me. I see the dangerous glint in his eyes. _Now I *know* I'm dead meat when Jackie leaves._

"That's good." Jackie smiles. "Come on Matt, I think you can take off the ice now." She was right. When I took off the ice pack, almost all of the imprint was gone. You could hardly see it.

"Thanks Jackie." I said smiling for the first time that morning. 

"Well, we'd better get going you guys, or we'll be late." My Dad calls from the dining room. We took the train and had to switch three times. We didn't talk much. I felt myself falling asleep since I didn't get much rest last night. 

Jackie's POV

"Matt, Matt wake up we're here." I said, gently shaking him. His crystal blue eyes slowly opened. He looked at me sleepily. 

"Wha…?"Matt asks sitting up.

"You fell asleep during the ride, and now we've reached our stop. It's time to get off the train." I answer, watching him try to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes. He finally succeeded and now his Dad was calling us to hurry up. I grab my backpack and off we went. After we checked in at a hotel, Matt's Dad gave him some money, told us to be good, and then went to his meeting.

"Well what do you want to do now?" I ask Matt. 

"How bout we get some breakfast and then buy some gifts for the other digidestined?" Matt suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's go!" I say. After we ate, we go to a souvenir shop and pick out some presents. A new soccer ball for Tai cause his old one is getting kinda worn out. A toy for T.K., a wooden flute for Kari, a book on flower arranging for Sora, a new computer game for Izzy, and a book on chemistry for Joe. Then I saw Matt looking at a bass guitar. I went up to ask the cashier how much it cost. I had just enough money, so while Matt went to look at some cameras, I bought it for him. After it was wrapped up, I went up to him.

"Here, Matt. You said to come get presents for the digidestined, so here's yours." I say smiling.

"Jackie! You didn't have to get me a present!" Matt exclaims.

"Take it Matt. I saw you looking at it and I know you want it." I say.

"You're right, I do." He says smiling. "But let at least let me get something for you too!"

"Alright," I give in, knowing he wouldn't be satisfied until I agreed. Matt picks out a light blue camera, and gives it to me. 

"Wow! Thanks Matt." I exclaimed. "How did you know I liked taking pictures?"

"Well, I have known you almost my whole life… That could have something to do with it, you know." He jokes. I grin.

"How bout we go take some pictures and then head back to the hotel. I really want to try out the guitar." Matt suggests.

"Ok, that's a good idea." I agree. We spent the rest of the morning taking pictures, and went back to the hotel to eat lunch. After we ate, I watched Matt fiddle with his new guitar. He ended up playing it really well for someone who's never played before.

"Wow! You're really talented! I bet you'll become a rock star someday, Matt." I predict.

Matt's POV

"That sounds exciting, but I don't think so." I say, as I think about my father, and how he treats me.

"You will," Jackie says confidently. _She doesn't know what I go through everyday._

I smile. "Maybe." I say, letting her enthusiasm and hopefulness convince me. I still don't think so, but there's no harm in wishing is there?

"Hey Matt, it's getting kinda dark out. When's your Dad getting off work?" She asks.

"He should be coming back right about now." I say as the door opens.

"Hey guys. I don't know about you but I'm starved. How bout we get something to eat?" My Dad asks, not drunk for once. He usually goes to bar once he gets off work and stays there till really late at night. Then he comes home and… _Why can't he be nice to me when she's not here? Why does he like to hurt me? I never did anything to him._

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Jackie saying, "I'm pretty hungry. What about you Matt?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course. Let's go." I answer quickly. While we were eating dinner my Dad suggested that we go swimming, because he hadn't gone in so long. We thought it was weird to be going swimming at night, but we agreed nevertheless. It took about a fifteen-minute drive to get there. After my Dad paid for a private section we went to get ready. There was a separate place for men and women. I go into a changing room and see my Dad do likewise. 

Jackie's POV

As I walked into one of those small rooms, when I felt that someone was behind me. I turn around and staring right at me were cold steel eyes belonging to Matt's father.

"You little bitch, this'll teach you to mess in *my* business." Whispered Mr. Ishida. With those words, he kicked me hard on my side and I flew backwards, knocking my head against the wall.

I struggle to remain conscious, but I slowly slipped into darkness…

Matt's POV

I slide into the water, and wait for the others to come. I see my Dad walking towards me. Oddly, he's smiling. He slips into the water and swims towards me. 

"Hi Matt." He says dangerously.

"What do you want?" I ask cause it wasn't normal for him to act this way towards me.

He continues talking, as if he couldn't hear what I said. "Did I say you could invite that bitch along with us?" He whispers chillingly. "No, I don't think so." He's staring right at me. I could see the revenge written in his eyes.

"I'll make you pay for what you did. No one disobeys me!" My Dad says venomously. He tries to grab me, but I narrowly dodge him.

"Jackie! Where are you?" I yell hoping she was walking down the hallway.

"Don't bother calling for her." He says smiling.

My eyes widen with horror. "What did you do to her? If you hurt her, I'll…"

"You'll what?" He says as her finally catches me. "I don't think you're in any position to be making threats." He twists my arms back and holds me under the water. I struggle to get free, but no use. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were screaming for air, then world became dark…


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I know most people don't like reading Mary Sue fics, but I just had to finish posting this one before I post anything else. I have another fic that I'm working on now. No Mary Sue, it's the original characters. I'm a Matt obsessed fan-girl, so I just had to have one of these fics. Thank you for being so kind with the reviews so far. I don't mind if you don't like it, just please don't flame me, it really makes a person feel bad. Thanks!!

Disclaimer: Nonprofit, entertainment, don't own. 

Jackie's POV

I could somehow feel Matt calling me, even though I was unconscious. I always had the strongest connection with him, but I never knew how deep it really was. I regain consciousness and jump up. 

"Ow! Maybe I shouldn't have done that." I say out loud, as my head begins to spin. I hiss as I start to feel the pain from his kick. I could hear Matt calling me again. I ignore the pain, and run out the door and down the hallway. I burst into the room where Mr. Ishida was holding Matt underwater. 

"Let him go!" I scream as I jump through the air and kicked him. He falls over and I quickly pull Matt out of the water.

"Matt, Matt! Wake up! Please be ok." I say, gently shaking him. "Yamato!" I was getting really worried. All of a sudden his blue eyes flew open and he started coughing.

"That's it Matt, cough it all up." I say holding him as he coughs. When he finished, he looks at me with his bright blue eyes full of tears. 

"I'm sorry he hurt you. I shouldn't have invited you to come with us in the first place." He says sobbing. 

I hold him tighter. "It's not your fault." I let him cry into my shirt. "Besides, if you didn't invite me, I might not have had another chance to see you again. Don't cry Matt. It's ok, everything's gonna be ok." I whisper soothingly. 

"Really?" He says looking up at me.

"Really. I promise nothing will hurt you." I say. "Come on, we'd better leave before *he* gets up.

"Ok," Matt agrees sniffing.

"First you have to go change, then we'll head back to the hotel and pick up our stuff. Then we can take the subway back home, ok?" I say.

"Ok, but we'd better hurry." Matt runs to change, and I wait outside the door. When he's done, we start walking out of the spa. All of a sudden, I turn around and see Matt's Dad chasing us. Matt sees him too, and we both start running. 

"To the hotel!" I gasp. We ran out of the building and realized that we couldn't run all the way back. 

"Quick, to that bus." Matt says pointing at a bus that was just about to leave. We run after it screaming for it to stop. We finally reached the bus and got a seat in the back. I turn to see Mr. Ishida go in his car and drive after us, but he was stopped by the traffic light. We got past.

"Jackie, after we go back to Odiaba, where will we stay?" Matt asks.

"We can either go to Tai's house or to your Mom's house. I don't really trust to go anywhere else." I answer, letting him choose.

"I haven't seen T.K. in while, can we go there?" He asks.

"Of course." I say. "Now I think you should get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get to the hotel, k?"

"Ok," Matt agrees. He falls asleep on me again, and I brush a bit of golden blonde hair out of his eyes. _He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping. Poor Yamato. I wish you told me about this sooner, I had no idea._

I hugged him gently and whispered, "Don't worry, you'll be ok, I'll protect you." Twenty minutes later we were there. 

Matt's POV

"Wake up Matt, we're here." Jackie says quietly. I stir and then open my eyes.

"Huh…? Oh, hey Jackie." I say.

"Let's get going." She says. "We don't want him to catch up to us." I nod my agreement and we get off the bus and go into the hotel. Jackie grabs her backpack and the presents for the other digidestined. I take my guitar and my backpack. We rush out of the hotel and go down into the subway system. I watch as Jackie quickly chooses a course that would take us within walking distance to T.K.'s house. She paid and we got onto the subway. I felt too weak to make any decisions, although I didn't want to admit it, so I let her handle everything. 

"Matt, this should take about an hour, so maybe you should go back to sleep." Jackie suggests. I agree and in minutes I was asleep. I felt safe for the second time today; the first time was sleeping on the bus. It was probably because Jackie was watching over me. It felt like having a guardian angel. It felt so peaceful. I haven't felt safe for about a year now, ever since *he* started getting violent. I remember when…

*****************************Flashback********************************

I was sleeping when all of a sudden I felt somebody roughly push me off the bed.

"Nani?" I said sleepily.

"You brunt my dinner!" My Dad growls. "Get your worthless body out of that bed and cook me some food!" I'm standing in front of a stove trying to cook while my Dad yells at me and lashes out at me with an occasional kick to accompany his harsh words. I burned my fingers and it took me half an hour to cook a simple meal. I was only eight and it was the middle of the night. My Dad is finally satisfied and I'm allowed back to bed. I lie there, crying, and nursing my blisters. 

*****************************End Flashback****************************

It's no wonder I didn't feel safe. 

"Matt, it's time to get up." Jackie says gently.

"I'm up." I reply. I feel a bit more refreshed now.

"Let's go." Jackie says.

"I'm coming." I say. We get off the subway and start walking to T.K.'s house. Jackie opens the door and in we go.

Jackie's POV 

I open the door to my house and call out, "Mom, I'm home!" T.K. comes running up to me.

"Hi Jackie! You brought my brother!" T.K. says climbing into Matt's arms. 

"Hey, T.K. I missed you so much!" Matt says, genuinely happy.

"That's why you should visit more often. I really wanted you to come over. I missed you." T.K. says. Nancy Takaishi walks into the room.

"Matt!" She exclaims, running towards him.

"Mommy," Matt whispers, putting T.K. down. They embraced.

"I haven't seen you in so long!" Mom says.

"Neither have I." Matt says. "I've missed you."

"Me too." Says Miss Takaishi.

"Hey Mom, can Matt stay here for a while? His Dad's on a business trip and won't be home for a while." I ask. _That *is* kinda true._

"Why, of course he can. It'll be nice to spend some family time together." Says Mom unsuspecting anything. "You and Jackie should go and rest. You look kind of tired." We agreed and go upstairs to my room. 

We sat down on my bed and I turned to him, "Matt," I say gently, "why didn't you say anything to me? I could have helped you."

"I-I couldn't. He threatened to kill whoever I told, and he said the police would never listen to me. I didn't want to hurt anyone so I kept it all to myself. Then he started to get more violent. I knew I had to tell someone, or-or something really bad could happen. I was going to tell you when I called you over, but he came out of the house. I-I'm so sorry." Matt burst into tears. I let him bury his face into my shirt, while I held him tight.

"It's ok, I don't blame you. It's not your fault, nothing that happened was your fault." I whispered comfortingly. I let him cry a bit more then asked, "How did this all start?"

Matt's POV

I stopped crying and looked up at Jackie. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk yet but, if I wanted to tell anyone, it was her. In the end I decided it would be better to tell than to keep it all bottled up inside. I started my story.

"It started before the divorce. In fact, it was probably the reason for the divorce. My Dad would come home late from work and yell at my Mom. They would fight a lot. I would always shield T.K. from everything. He had no idea why our parents divorced. They would yell and throw stuff at each other. At night they would fight about me. I would stay up at night and listen to their screaming. I tried to block it out, but nothing worked. My Dad would tell my Mom what a mistake I was and she tell him that I wasn't. She said that he was the mistake. That he was never around, never talked to me without screaming. My Dad would say that I was a mistake and shouldn't have been born, therefore didn't need respect, love, and kindness. And all the other things a parent should've given a kid. Finally my Mom had enough. She took T.K. and left. I remember coming home from school one day and then they were gone. I couldn't find them anywhere. My Dad went to court to try and get T.K. back but he lost to my Mom. She also wanted T.K. Nobody wanted me. I felt that I was unworthy or defective or something. I wondered what was wrong with me." I started crying again at this memory.

Jackie was looking at me, horrified, the whole time I was talking. But when I began to cry she took me in her arms and held me there until I felt better. When I was ready to begin again I gently pushed her away. I took a deep breath and began again.

"When my Dad had to go to court, he would be out for hours and sometimes even days. I would be home without anything to eat. I would starve for days on end. He would finally come home and force me to cook for him to eat. I didn't know how to cook, I was barely nine. I had blisters all over my hands from the stove. When I was done, I was sent to bed without any food or treatment. I would lie in bed nursing my wounds, while my stomach growled for food. After that, I forced myself to learn to cook. I would approximate the time he would come home and start cooking a half an hour before that. That worked well for about a year, but then he started drinking. A lot. Every night he would go out to the bar and drink. He would come home and bellow for me. I would come and, I guess he took out that day's frustration on me. He would beat me and yell at me. Sometimes it was so bad that I couldn't go to school. I would skip and then fail a lot of my classes because of it. When I brought home my report card to be signed, it usually showed that I had failed every class except Music and Art. But those grades weren't very high either. Then he would beat me tell me that I was worthless. Once I tried telling him that it was his fault, but that only brought me more pain, so I kept quiet. This went on for about a year and a half. Then I went to the Digital World. I met you and Tai and Gabumon and everybody. I even saw T.K. again for the first time in years. My Dad didn't let me visit him, ever. In the DigiWorld I made friends for the first time. I understood what it was like to feel friendship and love and caring. At first I was afraid of these things because I haven't ever felt them before, but you guys helped me through it. When we came back to the real world to search for Kari, my Dad was actually nice and he helped us. I think he was afraid of losing me, or realized how serious the matter was. Then when I returned home after Apocalymon, I thought he might still be that way. At first he was. He was happy that his son saved the world. He even allowed you to stay with us. Then I think that feeling wore off. It wasn't such a big thing anymore. Then he started the abuse all over again. You had a chance to get away before you found out and he hurt you too. I convinced you to take it. You did. The pain lasted about half a year. Then I couldn't stand it anymore. I knew I had to tell somebody and I chose to tell you. After all, you had lived with us and you were like my sister. Actually now you are my sister." Matt finished.

Jackie's POV

I was horrified, amazed, upset, mad, worried, so many things at once. "Oh Matt, I had no idea. I should've stayed, I should've been more alert, I should've been there for you. I'm so sorry!" I cried. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. Matt took me into his arms and stroked my hair. 

"It's not your fault. I didn't want you to stay and be hurt, I wanted you to be safe. After a while, when you found out, he probably would've done that to you too." Matt says comfortingly. "Besides, I'm safe now. I'm here, with you."

I sit up and turn to him. "Yamato, I…I love you. Now I realize how many times I could've lost my chance to tell you that. Matt, you mean the world to me. I'll understand if you don't feel the same way and only want to be friends."

Matt's POV 

~I love you…~ The three words that I've been wanting to say and wishing to hear. How could she think that I didn't feel the same way?

"Oh Jackie, I love you too. I've loved you since I first set eyes on you, but I was too afraid to tell you, in case you didn't love me back. Sometimes you were the only reason I still tried and kept going. You are my everything. Aishteru itsumademo." I confessed.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I only have a couple more chapters left in here. I'll be finished soon. I'm working on my other fic too. As I said before, no Mary Sue, all of the original characters. It's about the powers of their crests. (Please don't take my idea. I'm working really hard on it.) 

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Jackie's POV

I was so happy that he felt the same way. Both of us leaned slowed forward and then our lips touched gently in soft kiss. My first kiss. *Our* first kiss. It was sweet and perfect.

"Kids! Dinner's ready!" Mom shouted from downstairs. We quickly parted and blushed. We walked down the stairs, hand in hand. At dinner, T.K. asked us why we kept laughing and Mom kept looking at us suspiciously. We just smiled at both of them. After dinner we went to shower and get ready for bed. We tucked T.K. in and went to my room. 

"Matt?" I ask gently.

"Yeah?" He replies.

"Let's promise to never to keep secrets from one another again, k?" I say tentatively. 

He looks at me, unsure of what to say. Then he makes up his mind. 

"That's a good idea." He says slowly as if still uncertain.

"Matt, I know how important privacy is to you, so you don't have to agree if you don't want to…" I say.

"No, it's ok, I don't mind. It's just that, well, can you promise me something too?" Matt says. 

"Ok, what?" I ask, ready to promise him anything.

"Can you not tell anyone what happens to me?" Matt asks.

I was surprised at first, because I thought it would be good to get someone to help him, then it dawned on me. Matt didn't want anyone to think he was weak and couldn't fight back and stand up for himself. I could understand that. 

"Ok, I promise never to tell." I pledged to him. "But it's getting kind of late, we should probably be going to sleep."

"Yeah, I guess. G'night Jackie." Matt said quietly.

"'Night Matt." I reply. We both fall asleep…

I woke up an hour later to check on Matt. He was sleeping, but tossing and turning.

__

Aww…poor Matt. I *really* wish I could've been there to help him. 

He stopped turning for a bit, and started shaking instead. I started to rub his back and hum softly. Eventually, he calmed down and slept deeply with a little smile on his face. 

__

I wonder what he's dreaming about? 

I climb back into my own bed and drift off into the realms of sleep.

I woke up a couple hours later to Matt's muttering. I walk over to his bed. There beads of sweat all over his forehead, and he was saying no over and over again.

"Matt? Matt, wake up." I say gently shaking him. He bolts straight up in bed, breathing hard. He looks wildly around the room for a second, then his eyes settle on me. He seems to calm down a bit, then he starts shaking again.

I climb onto the bed and wrap my arms around him. "What's wrong?" I ask concerned.

"I-I was having a dream, a-and I was back with…with *him* again. He was…he was…" Matt shudders at the memory.

"It's ok, it was just a dream." _More like a nightmare but… _"He can't hurt you anymore, you're here, you're safe." I say soothingly.

__

He can't hurt you, but *I* would like to hurt him. That-that sick bastard! I normally don't like fighting and don't use profanity, but dammit! He makes you so frightened of him that you can't even sleep properly! God, I can only imagine what he does to you, poor thing. 

Matt's POV

I was clinging onto Jackie and shaking so bad…I never felt like such a little kid before. I know I'm older than her but still… 

"Jackie?" I say cautiously.

"Yeah?" She answers back.

"Will you-will you watch over me…until…like…um…" I stutter unsure of how to say it. 

She smiles. "Of course I will." She says, understanding exactly what I meant. "Now lay down and try to go back to sleep, k?" I lay back down and she pulls the blanket over me. She sits on the edge of my bed and hums softly. 

__

My Guardian Angel…

Jackie's POV

I watch as Matt drifts off to sleep. _I'm glad you feel safe with me._ I wasn't gonna get anymore sleep tonight. I watch as his chest goes up and down. _I don't care what happens to me, as long as you're safe._

In the morning…

Matt's POV

My eyes slowly opened. _Huh? What happened? Oh yeah, I'm here now._

"Jackie! You sat there all night?" I asked amazed that someone would do that for me.

She grins tiredly. "Yup. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, but you didn't get any sleep at all! You didn't have to do that for me…um…thanks." I act the same way I did when Gabumon took of his fur for me.

"You're welcome. Now how bout we get something to eat?" Jackie suggests.

"K, let's go." I agree. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything'll be fine." She says.

"Then French toast it is." I say remembering T.K.'s favorite thing to eat in the morning, just as he walks into the room.

"Onii-chan! Good morning!" He hugs me then goes to sit on Jackie's lap. After we finished eating, Tai called and asked if we could go and play soccer with him and Kari. We said yes and walked over to his house.

Jackie rings the doorbell, and when Tai answered we all chorused, "Hey Tai!"

"Hi everybody! Let's play soccer!" He grins happily. _Tai hasn't changed a bit._ I smile.

We were playing Me, Jackie, and T.K. against Tai and Kari. We were winning, when Tai does some fancy move and kicks the ball, hard, at Jackie and she collapses right on the field. 

"Taichi, you baka!" I swore as I ran over to her limp form. T.K. also ran over followed by Tai and Kari. 

"Matt, what happened? Will she be ok?" T.K. asked confused.

"I don't know squirt." I answer. I pick her up and bring her into Tai's house and set her on the sofa. 

"Jackie, Jackie wake up. Come on, please?" I shake her gently. Her brilliant blue eyes opened wide.

"Matt? What happened?" She asked.

"You fainted or collapsed or something when Tai kicked the ball at you. I swear that little!"

"Matt don't blame him, it's not his fault. I think I was just tired from not sleeping last night. Don't get mad at Tai, k?" She asked. _Always looking out for everyone else, well, except for maybe herself._

"I won't. But stay here and rest a bit ok?" I say.

"Ok, but you don't have to stay. Go outside and play with the others. Tell them I'll be fine and that it wasn't Tai's fault, k?" She said.

"K, but go to sleep." I say as I leave. _I know she said not to blame Tai, but I still feel that it's his fault. I mean he didn't have to kick it that hard._

I go back outside and T.K. asks immediately, "Is Jackie ok?" 

I smile and ruffle his hair. "Yeah T.K., she's gonna be fine." Tai comes up to me and I glare at him coldly. _I know I wasn't supposed to *say* anything, but I can glare can't I? _

Tai's POV

__

God I feel so bad about this. I go up to Matt and he glares daggers at me. _If looks could kill I wouldn't be standing here anymore. Now I feel even worse. All she ever did was be my friend and look what I did to her. I really hope I didn't hurt her too badly. Wait a second… She was never a weak person; in fact she had as much energy as I did, which is a whole lot. And I did that same exact move in our game a couple of days ago. She blocked it perfectly before, so what's up? I don't wanna accuse anyone of lying, but there's something here that I don't know about…_

"Um, Matt? Can I go talk to her?" I ask tentatively. 

"Whatever." He says coldly as ever. I walk into to living room and sit next to her. She had one hand on the bottom of her shirt and the other on her chest. She opened her eyes sleepily as I sat down.

"Hey Tai. I bet Matt's not being too nice huh?" She says smiling.

"Listen, I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to kick the ball that hard and hurt you and…" I bite my lip. "Forgive me?"

"Tai, I didn't blame you in the first place. It's not your fault, don't feel bad. I told Matt to tell you guys that but I guess he blames you. I was just tired." Jackie says gently.

"Oh, ok. Um, Jackie, I was wondering, didn't I do that same exact move in our previous game? You blocked it didn't you?" I ask knowing the answer was yes. I wanted to know what she would say.

"Well, um…" She seemed really uncomfortable. "It was probably because I didn't sleep well last night."

"Why not?" I ask curious and concerned.

"It was just…bad dreams. That's all Tai." I can tell she's lying. I know she can lie to others, but she's no good at lying to her friends.

"I know you're keeping something from me, what is it?" I watch as she shifts uneasily.

"It's nothing Tai." She tries to smile but it came out more as a grimace. She keeps pulling one side of her shirt down like there's something there that she wants to hide.

"Tell me! You trust me don't you?" I was hurt that she wouldn't tell me. After all we've been friends for a long time, even before the Digital World.

"I trust you, it's that I can't…" She clamps her hand over her mouth.

"Now I *know* something's going on. What is it? And why are you pulling your shirt?" I wanted an answer.

"No reason, no reason at all." She lies.

"Jackie…!" I say warningly. I reach over and pull up her shirt halfway. I gasp. There was a huge bruise on her side. "What happened?" I asked worriedly.

"Tai, just leave me alone!" She cries, pulling down her shirt. Matt comes running into the room.

"Jackie, what's wrong?" He asks seeing the distress written on her pretty features.

"Matt, do you know something I don't? Do you know why she has a bruise on her side?" I question him as well. He looks over at and they seem to be having a conversation with their eyes. Matt seems to get the message, then turns back to me.

"No I don't, now I think you should let her rest." He says.

"You're lying to me." _How stupid does he think I am? He's exchanging signals with her, then says that there's nothing going on? Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of England._

"I am not!" Matt says defensively. I look at him skeptically. 

Suddenly Jackie stands up and says, "I have to talk with Matt about something." Then she motions me to wait here and goes off with Matt following. _What's up, dammit!_

Jackie's POV 

After we walked to Tai's bedroom, I turn to Matt. "I think we should tell him. I didn't say anything, but he knows that something's going on and you know he won't stop bothering us until he finds out what."

"But…" He seems to consider it for a while then says, "Ok we'll tell him. He is my best friend after all. But what is saying about some bruise or something?"

"Uh…it's nothing…" I say uncomfortably.

"Jackie, please don't lie to me…" He says hurt.

"I'm sorry, see, it's… Remember that night we were at the spa place? Well, your Dad, he…" I stammer.

"I remember! He said to me that you wouldn't come when I called you. Oh god, what did he do to you?" Matt cries. 

"When I just went in the changing stall, I turned around and he was standing there. He said he was gonna teach me to mess in his business, then he kicked me on my side. I flew back and hit my head against the wall. I guess I fell unconscious after that." I said looking at the floor.

I felt him wrap his arms around me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Not this again, Matt. We went over this, nothing's your fault, remember?" I say. I looked into his eyes and saw that they were full of unshed tears. "Oh Matt." I pulled him close again, and we stood that way for a couple of minutes.

"Even if it isn't my fault, I'm still sorry." Matt says. I smile.

"Ok, but let's go before Tai comes looking for us. We walk back out and go up to Tai. I look at Matt, he doesn't seem to wanna to talk, so I took a deep breath and began.

"We're really sorry for lying to you, Tai. The truth is that Matt's father…abuses him." Tai's mouth hung open, and then from outside of the door we heard a little gasp. We turn to see little Hikari Kamiya standing with her hand over her mouth.

Matt runs over, grabs her by her shoulders and shakes her hard. "What are you doing here?"

"T-T.K. had to go to the bathroom and I didn't want to stay outside by myself, so I came to see what you guys were doing and I opened the door a little bit, and you seemed to be talking about something important, and I didn't want to interrupt, so I waited for you guys to be done, and then I heard…" Kari says nervously. 

"Matt, let go of my little sister." Tai says.

"You can't *cannot* tell anyone, you hear me?" Matt orders as if he didn't hear Tai's request. Kari didn't say anything, I think she was too scared to speak.

"Yamato Ishida, let go of my little sister!" This time, it's a demand.

"Matt, you're scaring her, please let her go." I say. He seems to hear us and lets his arms fall to his sides. I pick Kari up.

"You ok Kari?" I ask. She just buries her face into my shirt and cries. "It's ok, Matt didn't mean to hurt you. He's just worried, that's all." I say while stroking her hair.

"Look what you did you jerk! You made *my* sister cry!" Tai's really pissed off now.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, I just wanted her to promise me!" Matt defends.

"I don't care!" Tai tackles Matt and they go flying through the air and land beside the sofa. Matt kicks Tai off and they both stand ready to fight again. Kari cries harder.

"Stoppit!!! You making her cry harder Tai. If you wanna help your sister, stop fighting! And Matt, you didn't have to shake her like that. Apologize!" I'm in charge now. 

"I'm sorry Tai, I didn't mean to hurt your sister. I'm sorry Kari, are you ok?" Matt apologizes.

"It's alright Matt, I know you didn't mean to hurt her." Tai forgives and puts down his fists. I put Kari down because she stopped crying, and then the front door opens…


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: This chapter was posted up fast so because of you terrierlee. Thank you for reviewing! Now, the answer to your question. A Mary Sue fic is a fic that has you as a character in it. If you don't mind, and you leave your e-mail next time? It makes my life a bit easier. ^_^ If you can't, it's ok. Thank you terrierlee and you BC!!!

Disclaimer: All I own are my obsessions and the little world up in my head. I'm a teenager, for crying out loud.

In walked Mrs. Kamiya, home from her weekly cooking with fungus class.

"Mommy, Mommy!" Kari ran up to her Mom, while the rest of us just stared. 

"Kari, don't!" Matt cries. He tenses, ready to bolt at any second. Tai stands in front of him blocking his way. _If Kari tells, and Tai doesn't move, he's gonna get hurt…_

Mrs. Kamiya leaned over while Kari whispered something in her ear. When her expression changed from happy to shocked, Matt springs up, punches Tai, and since Tai's mother's in the doorway, runs up the stairs to Tai's room and locks the door.

"Tai!" I kneel down next to him. "Are you ok?" His nose is bleeding, but that was thankfully it. 

"I'm fine, run." Said Tai. I ran up the stairs to Matt. Tai, T.K., Kari and Mrs. Kamiya eventually followed me.

"Matt, open up!" Tai says when he gets up here. "Come on, open the door!" Tai yells while pounding on the door. I can hear Matt crying inside the room. I knew Tai wasn't gonna get anywhere.

"Here, Tai, let me try." Tai steps back from the door and I knock on it gently. "Matt? It's me…can I come in?" I say quietly. I can hear him sniffling then I hear his footsteps approaching the door. 

Before he opens it he says, "Only you, tell everyone else to go away." 

I turn to everybody, "You guys…" Tai sees the pleading look in my eyes. He took over.

"Come on everybody, let's go." Any protesting was silenced by a look from the Leader of the Digidestined. No one argued with him, not even his mother.

"Everyone's gone Matt, can I come in now?" He unlocks the door, then I hear his footsteps retreating back to the room. I open the door, enter, and then close it behind me. He's sitting on the bed, crying into his hands. I walk over and silently put my arms around him. _Poor baby._ He hides his face in my shirt and I hold him tight, letting him cry it all out. Gabumon's most important lesson to him was, "If you need to cry, cry," or something along those lines. I'm glad that, at least, he learned show emotion, instead of burying it all inside of him. 

"It's ok, Matt, everything'll be ok." I try to comfort him, but he still sobs. "Nothing bad'll happen to you, you're safe. Come on Matt, don't cry. Life'll get better, trust me. Besides, you got all your friends backing you up and if anything happens, they'll support you. And Matt, I'm here for you." _If anyone even *tries* to hurt you, they'll regret it. I'll protect you Matt, don't worry._ Matt's cries get softer and softer until they stop all together. He looks up at me with tears still running down his face. _Aww…_

I gently wiped them away.

"It's ok Matt. Kari didn't understand that it was a bad thing to tell her Mom, she thought it would help you. And Mrs. Kamiya will understand and she'll help you." I say.

"They wouldn't help me, they don't care." Matt says unhappily.

"Are you saying that your *best friend* doesn't care about you? Or your own *brother* doesn't care?" I ask. 

"Ok so they would help me. But what if something happens to them while they're helping me? Or what if they fail and I get sent back to live with my Dad?" Matt says pessimistically.

"Have a little hope Matt and have a bit of faith. Things could turn out good. You were never a pessimist before, that was Joe's job." I smile at all our memories. I even got Matt to give me shadow of his famous mischievous grin. 

"Now, let's go downstairs to the others." I say.

"Do we have to tell them everything?" Matt asks.

"Well, you don't have to tell them everything, just what you want. But if they ask you something and it's true, don't lie, k?"

"K," Matt agrees.

Mrs. Kamiya's POV

__

I was shocked by what Kari told me. At first I wouldn't have believed it, but when Matt locked himself in Tai's room, I knew it was true. The poor child, so much pain for one so young. I don't think that T.K. knows about this yet, he keeps asking Tai and Kari what's wrong with his big brother. 

"Tai?" I ask uncertainly. _He seemed to know what was going on._

"Yeah?" He looks up from his conversation with Kari. _He looked really upset about this whole thing. I didn't want to question him, but I needed answers._

"How long did you know about all this? When did Matt tell you?" I asked my son.

"I just found out today. He wouldn't even have told me anything if it weren't for Jackie. She knows more than all of us, except for maybe Matt himself. That's probably why he only let her in." Tai answered.

"What? I wanna know what's wrong with my onii-chan!" Screamed little Takeru Takaishi. _The others seemed unwilling to tell him, but he does have a right to know since it's his big brother we're discussing._ Right then Matt and Jackie walked into the kitchen. 

T.K. runs up to Matt, "Onii-chan, what's wrong?"

"Umm…" Matt stammers. He seems unable or unwilling to tell his little brother what was happening to him.

"Come here T.K., I'll tell you what's wrong." Jackie lifts T.K. out of Matt's arms and carries him away. Matt looks gratefully at her and she smiles back. _Those two do know a lot more than we do. Jackie such a sweet young girl, no wonder Matt trusts her with his secrets and his brother. I'm sure she'll explain it in a less harsh way to T.K., but you can't really sugar-coat this incident without lying about it._

When they walked back into the kitchen, T.K. climbs into his brother's lap.

"Are you ok, Matt?" He asks concerned.

"I'm fine, T.K., now that I'm with you guys." He says to T.K. "Hey, listen, I'm really sorry about lying about this and keeping it a secret for so long, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell anyone. It was too embarrassing. Forgive me?" 

"Of course we do, buddy! Now let's think of a way to fix things. Me and Kari were talking before and we think that we should find a way to let you live with you're Mom and T.K. and Jackie. Your Dad should be put in jail or have counciling or something." Tai says, always full of ideas.

"That's a good idea Matt. What do you think?" Jackie asked the blonde teen.

"Ok, if we can pull it off." Matt says doubtfully.

"Have hope Matt, remember my crest?" T.K. says. Jackie and Matt share a look. They smiled. 

"I told you." Mouthed Jackie. _I wonder what they talked about upstairs?_

"Well the first thing to do is go to the police and tell them what happened." I said. Tai, Kari, and T.K. nodded their agreement. Jackie was looked at Matt.

"What do you think? Are you ok with that?" She asks. I smiled privately. _They're so cute together. I can tell they'll do anything to make sure the other is ok._

"But remember, Dad said that the police wouldn't listen." Matt says with a troubled expression on his face. 

"Of course the police will listen. They're supposed to listen to every case fairly and make the best decision for everyone. There's nothing your Dad can do to change that." I say. 

Matt looks to Jackie, who nods, then he says, "Ok, I agree."

"Good, then we'll go to the police station tomorrow morning." I say.

"We as in who?" Questioned Matt.

"As in you and me of course. You need to tell the police what happened and I have to be the adult." I state.

Matt looked at Jackie with eyes full of fear and worry. She turned to me.

"I think I should come too. Is that alright with you?" Jackie asked.

"It's fine, I'll come and pick you up around ten tomorrow." I say. We all agree and Jackie, Matt, and T.K. walk home.

"Tai, what do you know about this that I don't?" I questioned my eldest child. 

"Nothing! I don't know shit, and this is my best friend we're dealing with! I can't believe he didn't tell me. I can't believe Jackie didn't tell me." Tai fumes. "I hope he'll be ok." 

"Watch your language, young man!" I scold. "He'll be ok for the time being, I just wanted to know if you knew anything that could help us." 

"I don't." With that Tai stalked up to his room. _I could tell he was really upset, but he's worried too, so he won't do anything stupid. I don't understand why Matt didn't tell anyone. I mean, it would've saved him a lot of suffering. I wonder if his Mom knows?_

T.K.'s POV

__

Poor onii-chan. Why do these things have to happen to you? You look so happy every time we meet. You cover it up so well that no one can tell something's wrong. But then no one can help you. I hope everything works out and you can come live with us.

I squeeze Matt's hand as we crossed the street. He looks down and smiles at me. When we reach home we saw that Mom left a note saying that she had to go to a meeting at the office, and wouldn't be back till after dinner. When we read the word dinner, we realized how hungry we were and that we hadn't eaten lunch, and it was…

"Three o' clock in the afternoon!" Matt exclaims.

"I'm hungry Matt. What's for lunch?" I say.

"I'll go see what's in the refrigerator and put something together." Matt replies.

"Listen I'm gonna go back to Tai's house. I have to…talk." Jackie says. Matt looks at her and she nods. 

"Ok, come back soon." Matt says.

"But who's she going to talk to? Why did she nod when you looked at her? Can we go too?" I ask all in one breath. Jackie smiles and walks out the door.

Jackie's POV

__

T.K., I'm going to talk to Tai and Matt asked me not to say too much, and no, you guys can't come. Sorry T.K. 

I knocked on the Kamiya's front door. Kari answered.

"Hey Kari. I need to speak with your brother. Ok?" I asked.

"He's upstairs in his room, with the door locked. He won't let us in, but you can try." Kari said inviting me in. I walk in and go directly up to Tai's room.

"Tai? It's me. We have to talk." I say.

"Really now." He says sarcastically.

"C'mon Tai, open up. I'm serious. I'm really sorry about not telling you. I couldn't becsuse…can I come in and talk about this?" I ask, feeling uncomfortable with Kari staring at me.

"Fine. Come in." Tai answers, somewhat reluctantly. The door unlocks and opens. I walk into Tai's room and sit on the bed, with him facing me in the chair.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Tai exploded.

"I only found out a couple days ago. I didn't know anything either. I knew something was up, but that was it. I wasn't gonna tell you my suspicions when I had no proof, now was I?" I said reasonably.

"Oh. I guess you didn't know either. Sorry for-for being a jerk and all." Said Tai in a small voice.

"It's ok. Listen I came over cause I needed to talk to you. You remember when Matt said the police wouldn't listen to him? I was thinking what if the police don't listen to him? Or what if they think he's lying or something? What do we do then? They'll make him go back to live with his "so-called" father…" I said those words with so much hate that Tai stared at me amazed.

"I never heard you so angry before." Tai said shocked. I blushed.

"Well, I was worried about Matt." I replied. 

"What is it between you two anyway? You guys always seem to know something we don't and you seem awfully close all of a sudden. What's up?" Tai questions suspiciously. 

"Well…" I hesitate, unsure if Matt wanted anyone to know that we liked each other.

"Come on, we've known each other for so long. It's not right to keep secrets. Besides it think I already know what it is…!" Taunted Tai.

"Alright, you win. I wasn't sure if Matt wanted me to tell or not but we are best friends and all. See, it was when I found out that Matt's Dad hurt him. He knocked me out and then tried to drown Matt or something. Matt called me and I woke up. I stopped his Dad and he got him out of the water before anything happened. I realized then how deep my feelings were for him. I could've lost him and that scared me, so I told him how I felt. He said he felt the same way, but was too afraid to tell me." I was studying Tai's bedsheets the whole time I was talking. 

"Hold on, back up a sec. You said Matt's Dad tried to drown him?" Tai questioned, unbelievingly. 

"Yeah." I replied sadly.

Tai's POV

__

I can't believe it. That his own father would try to kill him. I mean, I knew it was true, I guess I just didn't grasp the reality of the whole situation. Poor Matt.

"So you were thinking that the police might not listen and that we need a plan, just in case. Right?" I say.

"I knew you would understand." Jackie says.

"Ok, let's see. He's not of legal age so that kinda kills any options we might've had. I pretty sure the police'll listen, so why don't we wait till tomorrow, and then see if we need a plan." I reasoned.

"I guess you're right, but I have a bad feeling about this whole thing." Jackie said. 

__

She pretty much trusts and follows any decisions I make, even if she doesn't think they're right. I guess she still sees me as the Leader. I kinda feel that way too. I wanna watch out for everyone and make sure they all come out ok out of any situation. That includes this one. Matt *will* be ok.

"Don't worry everything will be ok." I walk over and sit next to Jackie. She still looks troubled. I put my arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, I've never let you guys down and I don't plan on ever doing so. Everything will turn out ok, you'll see." I smile at my childhood friend.

"Thanks Tai. You always know what to do." Jackie smiles back. She stood up. "I guess I better be going. Matt and T.K. are waiting for me." She walks up to the door and when she opened it, Kari and my Mom fell into my room.

"What are you doing!" I exclaim. "I can't believe you listened to our entire conversation!" I was so pissed off. 

"Ooh! Jackie and Matt, sitting in a tree…" Kari sings. 

"Stop!" Jackie cries, upset.

"Kari, be quiet!" I say sharply. She looks up at me, shocked.

"You just listened to something you weren't supposed to. You're not to say a word about it. Understand?" I say.

"Yes Tai." She says meekly. "Sorry Jackie." Kari walks out of my room.

"That goes for you too Mom. I still can't believe you did that. You're an adult for crying out loud." Tai looks at her with that Leader in charge look that he gave us in the Digital World.

Mrs. Kamiya's POV 

__

When he looks at people that way, I don't think anybody would disagree with him. He has some kind of…I don't know…aura or something. Now I know why he's the Leader of the Chosen Children. 

"Of course Tai. I won't say anything." It feels funny saying that to your own child.

"Listen, Jackie, I'm really sorry. I didn't know they were there." Tai apologizes to Jackie.

"It's not your fault. It's ok. I'd better be going, Matt's probably wondering where I went." Jackie says.

"Ok." Tai walks her to the door and she leaves. 

Jackie's POV 

"Hey you guys, I'm back!" I called coming in the front door.

"Hi!" Chorused Matt and T.K. from the kitchen. I walk in and see Matt in an apron washing dishes. I hid a smile.

"We just finished eating. Your food's on the table." Matt said. I eat, wash up my dishes, and sat down with Matt and T.K. to watch television. The rest of the day passed uneventfully.

Tomorrow morning…

Ding-dong! 

"I got it!" I ran down the stairs and opened the door. "Good morning Mrs. Kamiya!"

"Good morning, dear. Are you two ready too go?" She asked.

"I think so. I'll go see what's taking Matt so long. Please come in." I invited Mrs. Kamiya to sit on the sofa, and went up to my room.

"Matt?" I said. "You ok?" He was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands. I walk over and sit next to him.

"I'm scared Jackie. I don't want them to know what he's doing to me. That I'm too weak to fight for myself." Matt whispers.

"Don't be scared. The police can't help you if you don't tell them what's going on. And we know that you're not weak. There just some things that can't be fought alone. Come on, Tai's Mom's downstairs waiting for us." I say.

"Ok." Matt follows me down the stairs. I smile at Mrs. Kamiya. We get on the car and off we went to the police station. I still have a bad feeling about this, but I don't know why! We arrive in about ten minutes. Mrs. Kamiya walks up to the receptionist. 

"Good morning, miss. I made an appointment yesterday, for Yamato Ishida?" She says. 

"Yes, I remember you. Straight up the hallway, three doors down." The lady replies. We walk into a gray, windowless room. There's one side door, in which a fat, balding man enters the room. He looked to be in his early fifties. He gestures for us to sit in the uncomfortable chairs that look nice, but really aren't.

"Yamato Ishida?" Questioned the man. Matt nods his head. "I'm Mr. Simmons. You say that you've been abused by your biological father, Malcolm Ishida?"

"Yes sir." Matt says.

"We have checked over your file, and it seems that you get into a lot of fights, is that correct?" Asked Mr. Simmons.

"I used to fight a lot, but now I hardly ever fight." Answered Matt, wondering where this conversation was going. 

"Yes. I think that those fights explain the marks on your body." Matt starts to interrupt, but Mr. Simmon quickly continues. "I have talked with someone who allows me to understand your case very well."

"Who?" I asked.

He motions to someone from the side door. In walks Malcolm Ishida…

"Dad!" Gasps Matt. I jump up and stand beside Matt. Mr. Ishida smiles evilly. 

"See, Yamato, I've been talking to your father. He says that you and him have never got along very well, and if you could put him in jail for something, anything, you could go live with your mother and brother. He thinks that since you fought a lot, you could use those marks as evidence against him. He's stunned and upset that you would do something like that." Matt's Dad nods sadly. 

__

Liar! 

"And quite frankly, I am too. Yamato, this your own father that you want to send to jail. That's just not right. How could you be so unfeeling?" Scolds Mr. Simmons. Matt's eyes widen and fill with tears. He bolts. _I can't say I blame him._

"Matt wait!" I shout after him. I race out of the room, only pausing in the doorway. I turn to face Mr. Ishida. Only one word passes my lips. 

"Bastard." 

I turn on my heel and run after Matt.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: Hey peoples!!!! I meant to update sooner, I really did! But I have marching band three days a week till five o'clock, plus all the games. When I went and saw your reviews, I knew I had to sit down and write this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and especially to yamatoforever. You guys inspire me to write! I'm sure you don't want to listen to my babbling so on with the story!

Disclaimer: Check other chapters for disclaimer if it would lighten your day and make you happy! ^_^

Jackie's POV

I ran out of the police station, and paused where the road split. _Which way did he go?! _I quickly chose left. All of a sudden it started raining. I don't mean lightly drizzling, I mean pouring. Everything was soaked in seconds. 

"Dammit!" I was wearing shorts! At least Matt's has jeans on. As I thought of Matt, I began to run faster, calling out his name every few minutes. The rain was diminishing my sight, I could hardly see! Where could he be? I have no idea where I am now. I just kept running and running. Wait, there's a little side road that leads up into a forest. He might've gone there to hide… I quickly ran up the path. It turned into a trail, but I didn't care, I just kept racing ahead. I stopped to catch my breath. I just couldn't run anymore. I had a cramp in my side, I must've been running for over half an hour. I was completely lost and soaking wet. Not to mention, I still don't know where Matt is! I was too tired to run, so I walked. The trail ended and there were trees all around. I didn't know where to go! Might as well keep walking straight. After about ten minutes I stopped again. This stupid direction didn't seem to be getting me anywhere so I turned right and started tramping through the forest again. Wait! I hear sniffling. I follow the noise, and stopped short of a tall skinny pine. 

Under it sat Yamato Ishida, Chosen Child of Friendship. 

His head was buried in his arms and his knees were drawn up tight against his body. His normally perfect blonde hair was matted down and pieces of it stuck up at odd angles. Not to mention it was soaking wet just like the rest of him. I sat down next to him, and put my arm around his shoulders. We sat there for while then I heard Matt muttering something.

"I told they wouldn't listen." 

I had no reply to this. It was the truth, they didn't listen. If I weren't there to see it for myself, I wouldn't have believed that it actually happened. The things they said! 

"I hate him. I don't care if he's my father, or if it's not right to hate your parents, I do. He made my mother leave me, and my brother with her. If that wasn't enough, he has to ruin my life and hit me."

"I know. But maybe we could come up with another way to-" I started.

"Please don't get my hopes up again. They'll only crash and it'll hurt even more. I'm gonna go back to my dad, and live there until either I'm old enough to live on my own, or he kills me."

"I'm coming with you." 

Matt looks up for the first time. His tears mingled with the rain, making it impossible to tell which was which.

"But-" I cut him off.

"No buts. I don't care what happens to me, I'm staying with you. He can't make me leave, because by the law, I'm his daughter." 

Matt's eyes fill with gratitude. He says real soft, "Now I know why you're Compassion. I don't think there's anyone else in the world who deserves that crest more than you. Thank you, for everything that you've every done for me." He leans forward and hugs me.

"I love you." I whisper in his ear. We part and stare into each other's eyes. We lean slowly forward and our lips meet in a long kiss. A chipmunk shrieks and we jump apart. We were both blushing madly. It was priceless to see Matt blush like this. 

"We better go." I said.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Um, do you know where we are?" I asked.

Matt looks around. "I'm not sure, I can't see more than a half mile in any direction. Damn rain."

"Well, let's start walking." I said. We walked for about twenty minutes with the rain pouring relentlessly down on us. Then Matt started coughing a bit. 

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"I'm *Achoo!* fine." He said. 

Matt's POV

__

I don't feel so good, but there's no point in worrying her is there? I'm sure I'll be fine later.

We walked for about ten more minutes then…

"Hey look, there's the trail!" I exclaimed. We ran down the trail and the path and ended up out of the forest. I had my hands on my knees, coughing again. _Did it get colder, or is it just me?_ Jackie had her hand on my back, and was looking at me worriedly. _I didn't want her to worry._

"I'm alright." I reassured. We started walking again. _Dammit, it's frickin cold!_ I wanted to rub some warmth back into my arms but it didn't want Jackie to think I was cold was I just stuck my hands in my pocket. I also wanted to cough every few minutes, which really sucks. I could prevent the coughing most of the time, but there was nothing I could do about the rain.

"I think we're almost back at the police station." Jackie says.

"I know my way home from there. You don't have to come with me." I say.

"I'm going where ever you go." She says determinedly. I sigh and it turns into a cough. We reach the station and walk past it. _I wonder what happened to Tai's Mom? She's probably worried about us, but I can't tell her what I'm gonna do. She'll try to stop me and that'll only lead to more problems._

I reach our apartment. I know my Dad's in there waiting for me even without opening the door. I take a deep breath and open the door. Oh, it reeks in here! There are beer bottles everywhere and the kitchen's a mess. 

"Why, hello Matt. It's about time you showed your sorry ass here! Oh, look, you brought a friend." 

Jackie steps out from behind me. 

"You two have caused me so much fuckin trouble this past week, I swear I'll…" He threatens. _Oh shit. I'm shaking again and it ain't from the weather. I hate for Jackie to see my at my weakest but I just can't stand up to him._

"You'll do what? I don't know what your problem is. Matt hasn't done a single thing to you. Except maybe clean and cook and everything else you're too lazy to do. You should be glad you have a son like him." She's standing up for me!

"Yeah right. I work my ass off to make sure he has somewhere to live and does he appreciate it? No, he goes off to the police-" 

"What did you say to that Mr. Simmons guy anyway? What did you make up so that he wouldn't believe us?" Jackie interrupted.

"That's none of your business. Now I think you should leave. Me and my *son* have things to talk about." Mr. Ishida says menacingly.

"I'm not going anywhere." She stands in front of me with her arms crossed.

"Why you little bitch!" *SMACK* _He slapped her. Oh my god, my father just slapped my sister. No one hurts the people I care about._

"I've hated you since the day I met you. I knew you would cause me trouble sooner or later. Now I get a chance to get even with you." He smiles evilly down at her.

"Jackie are you ok?" I kneel on the floor next to her. She slowly sits up. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Her hand goes up to her cheek. It's bright red. She stands up.

"I think you'd better go, before he hurts you again." I say. 

"No, I-" Too late. My Dad kicks her in her stomach and she flies backwards. I start running towards her.

"I don't think so Yamato. Now why don't you go up to your room and stay there until I call for you." He grabs the back of my shirt and throws me to the stairs. My head hit the railing and darkness begins to fill my vision.

"No Matt!" 

Jackie's POV 

I run to him and Mr. Ishida blocks my way. "Move!' I scream.

"No, you get out of my apartment!" He yells back. I try to go around him but he grabs my hair. I scream.

"Let go. That hurts!" Tears are pricking my eyes. He pulls me by my hair, to the door and throws my out. He locks the door.

"Let me in!!!" I'm pounding on the door. "Don't you dare touch Matt!" I hear his malicious laugh as his steps retreat into the room. I sank onto the floor.

__

Matt's knocked out. I'm locked out of the apartment. I failed. I tried to keep my promise, I really did! I guess I'm just not good enough. I draw my knees against my body and bury my head in my arms.

****

So you're just gonna give up?

You know what? My conscience sounds an awful lot like Matt. 

****

You're gonna quit, just like that? You've never been a quitter, so why start now? 

__

That's right, I'm not a quitter, and I never will be. I'll never give up. There must be another way in… I know!

I go into the elevator and out of the building. Hey, the rain lightened a bit. I run to the side of the apartment. Yes! The window was open. All I need is a ladder. There's one in my garage at home.

I'm back fifteen minutes later with the ladder under my arm. _Good thing it's foldable._

I set it up and climb to Matt's window. _I can't believe I'm doing this, it's like breaking and entering. _It's for a good cause I managed to convince my self. I slipped through the window without much trouble. I drew the ladder in, being careful not to make any noise. I folded it and hid it under Matt's bed. I crept into the hallway towards the stairs. Matt still lay there, coughing ever every few moments. I made my way down the stairs with feline-like stealth. Mr. Ishida was nowhere in sight. I picked Matt up and quickly ran back up the stairs. I put him on the bed and sat next to him. His chest heaved up and down with every cough.

__

Poor Matt. I think you caught a cold. I hope it's nothing serious. I decided to let him sleep. 

"Matt?" I whispered. "I have to go home or Mom will wonder where I went. I'll try to come back as soon as I get the chance." I pushed his hair out of his eyes and squeezed his hand. "Sleep well." 

I got out of the apartment the same way I got in. I started walking home. 

"Mom, I'm home!" I shout from the doorway. She came out of the den/her office.

"I was worried about you!" She hugged me. "You're all wet! What happened? Where's Matt?"

"I got caught in the rain on the way home. And Matt's Dad came home earlier than expected, so he went home." I make up.

"Oh, ok. What about his backpack?" She asked. 

"I'm gonna bring it to him tomorrow." _Yes! This gives me a reason to go to his apartment._

"That's good dear. Dinner will be in an hour. Why don't you go up and get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold?" Mom smiled and went to the kitchen.

I go up to my room just like she suggested. But before I go to my room, I go to check on T.K. 

"T.K.?" I say as I walk into his room. He's playing his video games. 

"Yay!!!! I won first place!" T.K. jumps into my lap. "Jackie, what's wrong?" He asks as I smile tiredly.

"The police won't help. Matt's Dad got there first and somehow convinced them to believe him instead of us. Matt had to go home with him." I say. 

"But he'll get hurt! Jackie, what are we gonna do?" He hugs me. I hold him with one hand and tucked my hair behind my ear with the other. T.K. lets go of me. 

"What happened to your face?!" T.K. asks. I stand up and go to the mirror. _Damn, it's still there. I can't put ice on it with out Mom asking questions. Oh well._ I put my hair back down to cover it. 

"It's nothing T.K. Just don't tell Mom anything, ok?" 

"Ok. I didn't tell her anything about what we talked about at Tai's house. Did I do good?" T.K. asks.

"Very good." I pick him up and hug him. I set him down on his bed. "I'm gonna go over Matt's house tomorrow to return his backpack and hopefully I'll find a way to get him out of there." I go to my room, shower, dry my hair, and lay on the bed.

"I didn't call Tai!" I sit straight up. _I hope Mrs. Kamiya went home._ I quickly dial his phone number.

"Hello? Tai?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"It's Jackie. Did your Mom come home?" I ask.

"Uh huh. She said something about the police not listening and then went up to her room. What happened?" Tai asked concerned.

"Matt's Dad is an asshole, nothing new." I could see Tai's expression in my mind. I have never cursed out loud, ever.

"Jackie!" He's stunned, I can tell.

"I gotta go eat dinner. My Mom's calling me. Bye." I quickly hung up. I didn't feel like explaining. Tai can go ask his Mom later. 

"What's a matter honey? You've only picked at your food this whole time." Mom asks me over the dinner table.

"Nothing. May I be excused?" I ask. I wasn't hungry and the fact that he kicked me in my stomach doesn't help things.

"Of course you can. Tell me if your hungry, I'll heat something up for you." She says. I walk up the stairs and go to my room. I fell asleep the instant I lay on the bed.

Matt's POV

"Ugh. Where am I?" My voice sounds like shit. My throat feels kinda sore. I look around. Oh yeah, it's my room. The things that happened last night came crashing back to my memory. 

__

I hope Jackie's ok. 

I sit up. 

__

Oh that wasn't smart. My head's pounding. I put my hand on my forehead. I think it's hot but I can't really tell. My whole body feels hot now. I kick off the blankets. Damn, now it's freezing. I pull the blankets up again. I guess it's better to be hot than cold. I start coughing. When I'm done I'm breathing hard. My throat hurts like hell. God what's wrong with me? I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, hoping that everything will be ok when I wake up. I wanna cough, but I can't, it'll hurt too badly. Maybe some water will help. I try to sit up again. Oh god, everything's spinning. Need water. I stand up, but my legs buckle under me. I crawled to the door. I reach up to open it. Can't reach. I take a deep breath and stand up. I quickly twist the doorknob before I fall back down. I rest for a few minutes before crawling out of my room. Stairs. This sucks. I slowly make my way down. It must've taken me half an hour to get all the way down. I stopped on every step to rest. My head hurts, my throat hurts, my chest hurts. My whole body feels sore. 

"Well, well, well. Look who finally woke up." Slurs my father. He's drunk again. I lift my head to look at him. He has a bottle of beer in his hand. I drop my head back down. It hurt looking up like that. 

"I'm hungry. Go make some food." He says before collapsing in a chair. He takes another swig of beer. 

"But Daddy-" I start. My throat flames up. Maybe I should stop talking. 

"Shuttup!" He takes the beer bottle and hits me with it. The bottle breaks and the glass showers all over me. Blackness starts to fill my vision. 

"Look what you did. Get me another beer. Hurry up!" I was gonna object, but I can see that he would hurt me if I didn't. I could barely stay conscious now, there's no way I could if he hit me again. I slowly crawl over to the refrigerator. I got a bottle and crawled back to my Dad. He snatched it from me.

"Now go cook before I get mad!" He opens the beer and drinks. I crawl back to the kitchen. Everything hurts. God it must be a hundred degrees in here! I get a pot and a pack of instant noodles. I turn on the fire as I fill the pot halfway up with water. I set the pot on the stove and lay on the floor to rest. My throat hurts, but I'm too tired to get water. Maybe if I took a quick nap…

"Yamato!" I jump up and hit my head on the cabinets above. I fall back down, and curled into a ball. "Get over here!" I slowly crawl to the living room. 

Jackie's POV

I wake up and look at my clock. 

"Oh my god! I overslept!" I was eleven o'clock in the morning. I quickly get ready and eat a piece of toast. I grab Matt's backpack and stuff the ladder in it. 

"I'm going out Mom!" I call halfway out the door. I run over to Matt's house hoping nothing happened to him. I set up the ladder and get into Matt's room. I didn't bother pulling it in. I had a bad feeling again. I drop his backpack on the floor and I sneak to the stairs. I see Matt being kicked and yelled at by his father. He lifts Matt up by his hair and throws him against the wall. Matt crumples to the floor. I can't beat Mr. Ishida by myself and get Matt out safely. I pull my cell phone out of my pocket. I dial Tai.

"Hello?" Came Tai's voice from the other end.

"Tai - call police – ambulance – Matt's house – hurry!" My brain didn't seen to be working in sentences anymore. Matt was screaming. Matt does not scream. He never did in the Digital World and in all the time that I knew him. Something was very wrong. 

His Dad was bending his arm back and it almost made a whole turn. I run down the stairs and kick Mr. Ishida where it hurts. He falls to the ground along with Matt. I kneel by Matt's side. He's clutching his arm and…shivering? I put my hand on his forehead. He was burning up! Oh god, he didn't change out of his wet clothes yesterday! He slept in them… He must've caught a cold or something. 

"Oh Matt, I'm sorry. I should've realized that yesterday. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry!" Crystalline tears fell one after the other. 

"I hated you since the day I saw you, and now I get the chance to get even with you!" I hear from behind me. 

Matt's POV

__

It's not your fault. Please don't cry. I would talk if my throat didn't hurt so much. I open my eyes and look at Jackie. Oh my god! My Dad is coming at her with a knife! She can't see anything and by the time she does it'll be too late. I can't let something happen to her because of me. I gather all my energy and dart in front of Jackie as my Dad finishes threatening her. The knife plunges down at me and I close my eyes thinking _at least she won't get hurt._ I feel a searing pain in my shoulder. I fall to the floor and darkness consumes me. 

Jackie's POV 

I see Matt dart in front of me all of a sudden and I'm wondering why. I turn around just in time to see to Mr. Ishida pull the knife out and Matt fall to the ground. 

"Oh my god!!!" I scream. "Matt, no, you can't! Come on Matt, wake up!" I shake up gently. The blood is staining his blue T-shirt black. I turn to face Mr. Ishida.

"How dare you! He's your son! You fucking bastard!" I jump up and kick the knife out of his hand. It goes sailing through the air. I didn't care where. I kick and punch and do just about everything to make him hurt. I only had one thought right now. That he should pay. When he was on the floor, I smelt something burning. I run to the kitchen.

The whole thing's on fire. And it's spreading fast. The smoke was filling the apartment. I couldn't breathe right, and my eyes were watering. I ran back to the living room. 

Mr. Ishida was holding Matt with one arm and had the knife against his throat. Matt was unconscious. 

"Please don't hurt him. I'll do anything." I fall to my knees knowing that this situation is deadly. The apartment was on fire and Matt was in the hands of a drunken man with a knife to his throat. The smoke was filling the room, we were gonna run out of air soon. 

"Stay there and don't move." Matt's Dad says. He throws Matt on the sofa and comes toward me. "You are gonna suffer before I kill you." He drops the knife on the floor where he can reach it easily. "Don't move or Matt gets it." He kicks me in my ribs and I hit the wall behind me. I didn't dare to get up. He grabs my by my hair and pulls me up. I resist the urge to scream.

"I bet you regret messing in my business now, don't you bitch?" He lets go of my hair and slaps me across the face. I stand my ground. He kicks me backwards and I hit the table corner. Darkness fills my vision. He latches on to my T-shirt and throws me against the wall. Before I blackout I see a boy with messy brown hair come running in the room. Then I couldn't hold it any longer. I fall into the realms of darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I know this chapter took a while, and I'm really, really sorry. My life's been really hectic lately. I've barely had time to work on fanfiction or even go online. Well, here's the chapter we've all been waiting for! I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I still have one chapter to go after this, which I have already written. It's kinda short, just a nice little ending to finish this up. I'll post that up when I get say, a couple nice reviews on this chapter? Pleaz?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. 

I dedicate this chapter to yamatoforever. You've been with me the whole time, and I can't thank you enough for reviewing. You rock! ^_^ 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I cracked my eyes open. I see seven circle round objects above me. My vision slowly focuses itself. The circles turn into heads. Digidestined heads.

"Tai? T.K.?" Ugh, my voice sounds so bad. 

"Jackie, you're awake!" Everyone had tears running freely down their faces. 

"What happened? Where am I?" I say.

"Um, you're in a hospital and…" Tai seems really uncomfortable. I try to think back. First it's all blank, then gradually the memories came back. 

"Oh god. Where's Matt?" I ask when everything fell to place in my mind.

"He's over there." Tai reluctantly moves aside, knowing that nothing he said would prevent me from thinking about Matt. I sit up and instantly my head began to spin. Tai gently pushed me back down. 

"You've been here for about six hours-" Tai started. 

"We were so worried about you!" Mimi said. T.K. just climbed into my bed in put his arms around me. Kari had her hand wrapped around her big brother's arm. Sora, Izzy, and Joe were standing around my bed smiling.

"When you called me I was really freaked out. I called the police and told them to send an ambulance. Then I ran over to Matt's apartment. I thought I saw smoke coming from the side so I ran over to check it out. Then I saw the ladder. I guess he wouldn't let in huh?" Tai says.

"Yeah. Don't even start with the breaking and entering stuff. I had no other choice." I said.

Tai smiles then continues. "I climbed into the apartment and saw that the kitchen was on fire. The smoke was everywhere. I was afraid something really bad had happened to you guys. Then I saw Mr. Ishida throw you against the wall. I came running into the room and we fought for a while. I gave him what he deserved. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it." Tai smiles victoriously. Matt's Dad must've been beat up pretty bad. No one messes with Taichi Kamiya. Never doubt the powers of Friendship!

"The police broke down the door. They immediately arrested Mr. Ishida. The firemen came in next and put out the fire. Then ambulance people came in with stretchers and loaded you two on them. Matt had blood all over his shirt and you weren't waking up. I was scared. Really scared. It was the first time I ever felt like that." Tai looked really shaken. I reached up and hugged him. 

"Thanks Tai. You saved our lives." 

"I didn't do that much-" Tai started to object.

"Yes you did. I don't even want to think what would've happened to us if you hadn't showed up. Right guys?" I asked the rest of the team.

"Yeah!" Chorused everybody. "To our Leader, Tai!" Cried Sora. 

"Hip, hip, hooray!" Cheered all of us. I started coughing.

"Are you ok?" Asked T.K. still on my bed.

"I'm fine." I tried to reassure everyone between coughs.

"I suggest you let her rest." Said an unfamiliar voice. I stopped coughing. 

"Who's he?" I asked.

"I'm Dr. Thomas." He was a tall skinny man, looking to be in his early thirties. He seemed nice enough, I decided. "You breathed in a bit of smoke. Not enough to do any lasting harm but you should rest. You have various bruises on your body. They should heal with time."

"That's great, but what about Matt? Is he gonna be ok?" I asked. The Digidestined all looked expectantly at Dr. Thomas.

"Well, we stitched up his shoulder and that should heal eventually. For some odd reason he seemed to have a high fever, strep throat, and his lungs were congested. Some form of pneumonia, I think. His fever broke a few hours ago, and we have him on the respirator because he still hasn't begun to breathe by himself. We gave him medicine for his throat and in a couple of days that should be completely gone. Although he will be very weak." Dr. Thomas pauses.

"Onii-chan's gonna be ok?" Asked T.K.

"He lost a lot of blood. If he can wake up and start breathing he'll be fine, but he's showing no signs of that." The doctor says remorsefully. 

"There *is* a way of making him breathe right?" Demanded Tai.

"Right now we think it's best to just let him rest and recover before we try anything. Maybe he'll start breathing by himself tomorrow. You never know." Dr. Thomas hopefully. He leaves the room just as Ms. Takaishi and Mrs. Kamiya enter.

The expression on Mom's face seemed relieved at first, but then it suddenly turned angry. 

"I don't understand Jackie! If you knew about this, *why* didn't you *tell* someone? I know Matt had a problem with the I-don't-want-anyone-to-think-I'm-weak thing, but you! I thought *you* were *responsible* enough, *smart* enough, to make good decisions. But no…you put *your* life in danger and *Matt's* life in danger. How could you be so *stupid*?! You could've gotten yourself killed! You and Matt are only in this hospital because of your stupidity. I-" Shouted my Mom.

"Shut up." Said Tai coldly. 

"What?" Said my Mom incredulously.

"You heard me. Shut the hell up." Tai stood in front of my bed with his arms crossed.

"Jackie did everything she could to protect Matt." Said Kari from her brother's side. 

"You should be very proud of her." Said Joe, going to stand next to Kari. 

"Instead you start yelling at her." Said Izzy, standing by Joe.

"Onii-chan is alive because of Jackie." Said T.K., jumping off the bed and standing next to Tai.

"You are lucky to have a daughter like her." Said Sora, standing next to T.K.

"And Matt is lucky to have her as a friend." Said Mimi, from Sora's side.

"As are we. No one insults our friends!" The Digidestined said as one.

"Thanks you guys." I smiled, with tears in my eyes. "You are the best friends in the entire world. Real and Digital." Everyone turned to face me. 

"Group hug!" Yelled the Leader. Everyone crashed together on my bed. I hugged everyone, and in the end we all ended up on the bed, somehow. 

"Actually, Nancy, Jackie did tell someone. She told me." Said Mrs. Kamiya from the door. She walked into the room and hugged me. "I'm glad you're alright honey." She sits on my bed, holding Kari.

My Mom fell to her knees. "Oh I'm so sorry! I had no idea. I don't know what was wrong with me. You are right. All of you are right. I'm very proud of you Jackie."

"It's alright Mom. Thanks." I say. "That reminds me. How did my Mom and all you guys know what happened? I thought only T.K., Tai, Kari, and Mrs. Kamiya knew."

"I called everyone from the hospital. The nurse told me to call your family and my family, which I did. Then I called the rest of the Digidestined. Jim, Joe's brother, drove them here. He should be coming to pick you guys up again soon." Tai says. As if on cue, Jim strides into the room. 

"Jackie! I'm glad you're ok." He smiles. "Now the rest of you have to go home before your parents start to worry." 

"We're coming." Joe, Izzy, Sora, Mimi say reluctantly. They all leave and it's only left with us.

"Tai, Kari, I think we should be going too. Jackie needs her rest and you two haven't had dinner." Says Mrs. Kamiya. Tai's stomach growls. Everyone bursts out laughing. 

"I guess you're right." Tai stops by Matt's bedside before leaving. "You're Da Man, remember? You always end up ok, no matter what. Don't make this an exception." He squeezes Matt's hand then follows his sister and his Mom out the door.

"T.K. we should go too." Said Mom.

"No! I wanna stay with Jackie and Matt. Please Mommy?" Asked T.K.

"But T.K. this is a hospital. You don't want to bother the doctors, do you? We can come back tomorrow, ok?" She says.

"No, I wanna stay here!" T.K. whines.

"T.K., you can't. Now come here like a good little boy and let's go." Says Mom. T.K. bursts out crying. 

"Aww, T.K. It's ok, don't cry. You can stay here with us." I hug T.K. while he cries.

"Really Jackie?" He looks up hopefully.

"Of course. You can share a bed with me, just like we used to before we got separate rooms. Now wipe away those tears." I say playfully.

"Yes sir! I mean ma'am. I mean girl. Wait!" T.K. bursts out laughing. I start tickling him. 

"Sir? Ma'am? Girl? What are you talking about T.K.?" I ask as I tickle him. 

"Stop, stop! Mercy!" Cries T.K. between giggles.

Mrs. Takaishi's POV

As I watch my son cry and be comforted by Jackie, I realize how much she means to him as a big sister. I know I've been calling her my daughter, but I guess I haven't really meant it. Those Digidestined kids really are an amazing bunch. They taught me a lot just by each kid saying one line. They taught me of their friendship, their love, their loyalty, their compassion. They taught me how wrong I was to yell and they showed me how to fix it. Now my son's screaming for mercy from…my daughter. I can say it now, with meaning. I think I *will* let him stay here tonight.

"T.K.?" Jackie stops tickling him and both heads turn towards me. "I think you can stay here tonight."

"Yay! Thanks Mommy!" T.K. runs over and hugs me. I pick him up and go sit by Jackie. I set him down on the bed.

"Hey honey. Are you ok?" I ask.

"Yeah." She says. I think she feels kind of uncomfortable around me now. _Good job Nancy! Look what you did._

"Jackie I'm so sorry about what I said before. I don't know what came over me. Please forgive me." I apologize.

"It's ok Mom, I forgive you." She says.

"Really?" I ask not quite believing that it was that easy.

"Really." Jackie smiles and we hug. 

"Well I have to go. T.K., be good. Bye!" I say walking out of the room. 

"Bye!" We said together. 

Jackie's POV

After she left I asked T.K., "Do you wanna go sit on your brother's bed?" 

"Will we hurt him?" T.K. asked.

"As long as we don't touch any of those tubes and stuff I don't think we will. Besides I think we'll do more good than harm because he'll know we're here for him." I answer.

"Ok! But Jackie can you get up?" He asked.

"Seeing that there's nothing keeping me down, and there no doctors around, let's risk it." I grin. "I feel fine." We walk over to Matt's bed and we sit down next to him. _He's so pale. Oh Yamato, please wake up. Please be ok. I'm sorry, so, so sorry. I wish…I wish…none of this had ever happened. _

"Matt…" Two wet spots appeared on the sheets. _No, I can't be weak now, I can't let T.K. see me like this. I have to be strong, if not for me, at least for him._ I hastily wipe away my tears. T.K.'s on Matt's other side holding his hand.

T.K.'s POV 

I watched Jackie sit by Matt. I don't think she knows, but I could hear what she was thinking. I think she's too distracted to block her thoughts. Even if I couldn't hear her I could tell by the expression on her face. I saw the tears fall and the move of her hand as she wiped them away. 

__

Oh onii-chan, Jackie's crying for you, the Digidestined came and they all cried for you. Please hear our wishes and wake up. I-I love you and I miss you. What am I gonna do without you? How could I possible go on without you?

I tried to stop my tears from falling but they did anyway. Jackie came over and put her arms around me. No words were said, we just sat there and hoped. 

A doctor came in and yelled something at us. I wasn't paying attention. Jackie stood up and I put my arms in the air. She leaned over and picked me up. I buried my head in her shirt and I cried. We lay in bed and I snuggled close to her. I cried myself to sleep that night. 

Jackie's POV

__

Poor T.K. I took him close as he went to sleep. _Please be ok Matt…_ I wished as I fell asleep. 

"Onii-chan, onii-chan!" I awoke to T.K.'s mumbling. "No, don't leave me. No!" 

"Shh…It's ok. Matt's not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna leave you. We're all right here for you." I put one arm around T.K., and used the other arm to pull up the blanket. T.K.'s breathing slowing went back to being steady and relaxed. I fell back to sleep.

The next day the Digidestined came back, but Joe had to go to summer school, Sora had work in the flower shop, and Tai had a soccer game. They all came for a little while to see Matt, then they went off to their separate activities. Kari came and convinced her Mom to let her stay with us until Tai's soccer game was over. Her and T.K. went off somewhere then came back and sat by Matt. Mimi came to talk to me, but she had to leave because her parents were going out. No one's heart was in to anything they did. Everyone's mind and heart was on this one boy, the Chosen Child of Friendship.

The next day I was allowed to go home, but I refused. T.K. and I were gonna stay in Matt's room until he went home. 

Mrs. Takaishi's POV

I was at work when I got a call from the hospital. They had asked me to come down to the hospital to make some decisions and to see someone. 

"Ms. Takaishi. The doctors and I have come to an agreement. We feel that it would be best to take Matt of the respirator." Said a doctor in a billowing white uniform. I didn't bother to figure out which one it was. We were in Matt's room sitting around his bed.

"What!!!" Screamed Jackie, T.K., and Kari all at once. 

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" I asked.

"Because right now Matt's living off this machine. There is no way that he is going to start breathing by himself while he's still dependent on it. If we take him off, maybe he would force himself to start breathing. It's the best chance you have." The doctor explains.

The children huddle together in a group. "What do you think?" Asked Kari. 

"I dunno. I'm scared, but if what the doctor said is true…" Jackie starts.

"I say we should." T.K. states firmly. "If it's the best chance we got I say we go for it and hope for the best." He lifts out a gold tag with the crest of hope in it. Jackie and Kari smile in recognition of the crest. 

"If you say it's a good idea, I agree with you. After all Hope and Light go together as one." Said Kari, pulling out her pink crest. 

"Right. Maybe he'll feel our Hope, Light, and Compassion and that'll help him through his pain." Jackie said pulling out her own silver crest. 

They lifted their heads and they said together as one, "Let's do it."

"But wait I'm gonna call the Digidestined." Jackie pulls out her cell phone and proceeds to call all their closest friends, the kids who came together to save the worlds. 

"Ms. Takaishi, do you agree with the children's decision?" The doctor asks.

"Yes I do." I said shakily but firmly. 

Ten minutes later five kids burst into the hospital room. 

"They didn't do it yet did they?!" Shrieked Mimi.

"No, I made them wait." Said Jackie, lifting a tearstained face. 

Jackie's POV

I know I agreed with T.K. and Kari, but I'm so worried. What if…what if… Oh Matt, just be ok. God, these stupid tears. I wonder if my face will ever be dry again. Tai's walking over here, leading the rest of them.

"Tai…" I stand up. He puts his arms around me. 

"It's ok. It's ok. Matt will be ok. Come on don't cry, you'll make me cry!" He says softly, then grins. 

"Thanks Tai." I wipe away my tears. 

"Does anyone want to be the one who does it?" Asked the doctor. Nine heads shake violently. The doctor sighs before walking over and pulling the plug. 

The machine suddenly goes flat-lined. 

It was deadly silent. It was as if no one drew breath. Kari started crying into her big brother's shirt, while everyone else was standing still as stone. 

If Hope and Light go together as one, and that power is supposed to save everything, then why did Matt die? Maybe – Maybe my Light isn't strong enough.

__

I lost one. I lost a team member. I was supposed to make sure everyone got out ok. I – I failed. 

__

No, this can't be happening. Onii-chan, you can't leave me! You promised to always be there for me…please don't go.

This – This isn't for real. I can't let this happen. Matt…

I gaze around the room. T.K. was holding on to Matt's hand, Kari was crying, Tai was crying, everyone had tears running unchecked down their faces.

__

What's gonna happen to all of us without you? Your little brother, your best friend…The Digidestined aren't anything but a bunch of people thrown together without Friendship to bind them. I can't, I won't, I refuse to let this happen!

My crest flares and I'm engulfed in a silver glow. I feel the Digidestined's stunned eyes upon me. I don't know what's happening, but I know it's good. I feel…so much energy.

An angel appears in the middle of the room. "I am the Digital entity that told you of your connection. Now I see that Compassion has found her power. She is allowed to give her energy for any cause she wishes."

"But how did she find her power?" Asked Tai, as everyone except T.K. and Kari looked on in confusion.

"It has always been there, young Guardian of Courage. In order to access it, she had to understand the deepest, fullest meaning of her Crest and of herself. She was willing to do anything to end the suffering and pain you all felt."

__

I understood now. I gathered all the energy I had and wished on it. _I wish that Yamato Ishida would be alive again._ I felt the energy leave my body and settle on Matt, making him have an aura of silver. _I hope I did good._

Tai's POV

I kinda understood what the entity just said, but as I was trying to process that information, Jackie seemed to take her silvery glow and give it to Matt. 

__

What did that do?

She collapses on the floor, the entity disappears, and doctors rush into the room.

"Jackie!" I picked her up and gently laid her on her bed. "Jackie? Wake up…" I said shaking her. The doctors pushed me aside and started doing all these tests on her.

Then I heard a beep.

I ran to Matt's bedside, as did all of my team. It was a miracle. Matt was breathing. The doctor was saying something about him being legally dead for ten minutes.

"But…but it's not possible. It's a-a miracle!" Stammered the doctor.

"Of course it is! This is Yamato Ishida we're talking about here!" I said grinning. I was practically dancing around the hospital room. 

"I don't understand what happened to her. The tests say she collapsed from exhaustion. From lack of energy?" Another doctor said from Jackie's bed.

"I get it now!" Exclaimed Izzy. We looked at him. "The entity said that in order for her to find her power she had to understand the full meaning of her crest. Remember when she became engulfed in a silver light? I believe that was when she found her power. The entity said she could give up her energy for any cause she wishes. I gather that she gave her life energy to Matt so he could live. That's why the doctors say she collapsed from her lack of energy." Explained the young genius.

"So Matt's alive from Jackie's energy?" Asked Sora.

"Precisely." Answered Izzy.

"And you couldn't just say that!" Yelled and laughed Tai.

"But she's gonna be ok right?" T.K. asked in a soft voice. 

"Of course she will! Your brother and sister have that same protective stubbornness that got them into this mess and that will get them out again." I said happily. 

Matt's alive, Jackie's gonna be ok, and our team was one again.

~*Review!*~


	7. Epilogue

Author's Note: Here's the ending of "Forever and Always"! I dedicate this chapter to yamatoforever. She (I'm guessing you're a girl, but if you're not please tell me. E-mail!) has been reviewing since the first chapter and her reviews have really made this story write. I don't think I would've finished this story if not for her reviews. Thank you!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, do you? 

Epilogue 

That horrible experience that happened about a year ago was over. Matt's Dad has a life sentence in jail, per Matt's request. He would've been killed, but Matt couldn't agree to the murder of his own father. We all lead normal lives, or as normal as high school Digidestined lives could get. Matt wounds slowly healed, inside and out. When he found out how he was saved, he and Jackie became closer then ever. Jackie told us that the entity appeared to her once more. Her power was only to be used once and now that she used it, it was gone. I became closer friends with both of them. The three of us were hardly ever seen apart. Matt went to live with his Mom, and him and T.K. got to spend a lot of brotherly time together. After all they had many years to catch up on.

T.K. of course grew up and now went to middle school with my sister. They were seldom seen apart either. You can tell they really care about each other. I tease Kari about it all the time, just to make her blush. I bet Jackie and Matt do the same to T.K. He never really lost his childhood innocence though. But he became very protective of Matt. I guess Kari would feel the same way too, if I ever almost died. 

Speaking of couples, Jackie and Matt eventually told all the Digidestined how they felt about each other. They became our first official couple. T.K. and Kari were a couple even though they never admitted it. I trust that they will in due time. And I too got myself a girlfriend. Sora and I became very close and I told her how I felt, but at first she didn't answer. Then she came over my house and when I opened the door she started babbling her confessions and wrapped her arms tightly around me. 

The Digital World has pretty much been quiet and peaceful. Izzy finally discovered a way for us to go back there and see our partners. We had a party in the DigiWorld. I wish I could bring Agumon back with me, but I'm content with the thought that I could go see him any time I wanted. 

Mimi's parents are considering moving to America. We, of course, are trying to convince them not to go. Meanwhile we just spend as much time in a group as we can. Joe is still Joe. Nothing really changed about him. He became more determined to become a doctor with this whole experience. 

Me? Well, I'm still Taichi Kamiya. I don't think I've changed much. I'm still Leader of the Digidestined and I still love soccer. 

Yet, I think that after this experience, we've all changed. It was a horrible experience, but I think it changed us for the better. Whether it was a little or a lot, it changed us into who we are. 

The Digidestined.


End file.
